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Lower-order batting has clearly been the major difference between India and England this series. Time and again, the lower middle order and tail have rescued England from tight positions, while India have been found wanting there. It happened again yesterday, as England began the day on 198 for 7 and eventually stretched their first innings to 332.

India did not begin badly at all, continuing their momentum from the previous afternoon, when they had made England collapse from 133 for 1 to 181 for 7. The first half hour barely produced any runs and India were able to dislodge Adil Rashid as well.

It was overcast, there was some chill in the air, and the ball was nipping around, swing as well as seam on offer.

From 214 for 8 at the start of the 98th over, though, things slipped away from India in the field. Jos Buttler and Stuart Broad added 98 for the ninth wicket in around 20 overs.

It is hard to fault the four-man bowling attack that shared the workload almost exactly equally for 122 overs, barring one over from Hanuma Vihari. You can fault fortune to an extent. The numerous plays-and-misses, the odd edge flying past the slips. You get that a lot in England, and India got that a lot from Buttler and Broad yesterday. However, fortune cannot entirely explain away an almost-century ninth-wicket stand going at five an over in conditions favourable for pace bowling.

From the very start of the day, it was almost as if India had conceded it was hard to get after the lone remaining specialist batsman. Sweeper cover, deep square leg, square third man, fine leg. The field was spread out. Buttler could milk the bowling wherever he wanted to. Which is what he did.

At no point did he seem to be making an attempt to shield Rashid, and later Broad, from the strike. At no point did it seem that India wanted to keep him off strike, barring the time he was actually dismissed on 89.

India brought up the field then towards the end of Ravindra Jadeja’s over. The single having become harder now, Buttler looked to hit out over the covers for a boundary and ended up edging to slip.

But the initiative earned in the last session on day one had been lost by then. As soon as he came in, Broad was allowed an easy single down to third man through vacant gully to get off the mark. Broad went on to play as many as 59 deliveries to make 38.

At one stage, as both batsmen kept swatting deliveries to sweeper cover and jogging singles, it appeared like the middle overs of an ODI innings.

Virat Kohli is not the first captain in these times to spread out the field when the tail is in with a specialist batsman. But in these conditions -- and with a pace attack that even the phlegmatic Geoffrey Boycott said on commentary had outbowled England at times – India’s tactics on the second morning have to come under some scrutiny.

Even when a bowling change was made and Mohammed Shami was brought on, he began with four men in the deep.

What you got often from Kohli was his usual reaction of following the ball, something he still does regularly in to his fourth year of captaincy. The two slips would move a touch wider if a ball raced past second. Third man would be brought a bit finer. The sweeper would be moved around somewhat.

And incredibly, even when last man James Anderson came in, India did not try to deny Buttler the strike, keeping the field back throughout for afew overs.

It wasn’t just that they had several men in the deep. Even their mid-on and mid-off were too deep to prevent a single.And even when Kohli was off the field and Ajinkya Rahane was in charge for a few minutes, Buttler was given a straightforward single. So much that in the 27 deliveries the tenth-wicket stand lasted, Anderson faced all of five balls.

Verbals do make for good theatre, especially if they come from a fielding captain, and have their place as a tactic too. But letting a game drift away like what India did last morning was not supposed to be the way this captain operates.

Virat Kohli arranging the field during the second day of the final Test against England yesterday

Having let England’s last two wickets put on 118, India fell apart with the bat yet again on day two of the final Test at The Oval in London. From a stable position at 70 for 1, the middle order unravelled to leave India reeling on 170 for 6at stumps, trailing the hosts by 158 runs.

With a rough area having developed on the pitch for offspinner Moeen Ali to exploit, and India batting last in the game, it will be a remarkable feat if they can avoid a 1-4 series scoreline.

India’s problems began right at the start again. Shikhar Dhawan lasted all of six deliveries, as Stuart Broad trapped him lbw with his first ball. KL Rahul and Cheteshwar Pujara added 64 for the second wicket. Rahul made his highest score of the series, 37, before he fell to a ripper from Sam Curran that swung in and then straightened against the incoming angle. Having tried to play safely and not succeeded in the first four Tests, Rahul came out and went for his shots. Pujara was his normal self, batting cautiously to make 37 as well before he poked at James Anderson outside off.

It was the time the ball — replaced after ten overs — had started to really hoop around for Anderson and Broad. Ajinkya Rahane went for a duck, reaching out and nicking an inswinger. A few overs ago, Anderson had rapped Kohli in front but umpire Kumar Dharmasena turned down the appeal, and England’s review returned umpire’s call on point of impact. Anderson had set Kohli up beautifully, making him stretch for a couple of away swingers before angling one back in fuller.

Kohli eventually fell to an outswinger, nicking Ben Stokes to England captain Joe Root at second slip on 49. While he was in, he made sure India did not get stuck, despite Hanuma Vihari’s jittery debut at the other end. Kohli took young Curran for 14 runs in an over, clipping and guiding him for successive fours. The pair added 51, but England kept chipping away, and Rishabh Pant followed Kohli to the pavilion soon. Vihari hooked Stokes for two unconvincing boundaries, but defended resolutely and managed to see India through to stumps, in the company of Ravindra Jadeja.